Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with botanical garden and recreational features located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. The state park's 304 acres (123 ha) center around Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and greenhouses. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[2]
| Harkness Memorial State Park | |
|---|---|
 The mansion and gardens from above | |
  Harkness Memorial State Park Location in Connecticut  Harkness Memorial State Park Harkness Memorial State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Waterford, Connecticut, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°18′18″N 72°06′48″W / 41.30500°N 72.11333°W |
| Area | 304 acres (123 ha)[1] |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Established | 1950 |
| Administered by | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
| Designation | Connecticut state park |
| Website | Official website  |
Eolia—The Harkness Estate | |
| Location | Great Neck Road, Waterford, Connecticut |
| Area | 220 acres (89 ha) |
| Built | 1906-1907 |
| Architect | Lord & Hewlett; et al. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003331 |
| Added to NRHP | November 20, 1986 |
History
editThe park was the former summer home of philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness, who inherited the fortune created by Edward's father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a substantial investor in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The mansion was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett and constructed in 1906–1907. From 1918 to 1929, landscape designer Beatrix Jones Farrand made extensive improvements to the grounds, adding numerous formal gardens. The estate was left to the state by Mary Harkness in 1950 and became part of the state park system in 1952. Eolia—The Harkness Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a 220-acre (89 ha) historic district with 15 contributing buildings and two other contributing structures.[3]
Activities and amenities
editThe park offers mansion tours, picnicking, and shoreline fishing as well as private event rentals.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-2. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "Harkness Memorial State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Clouette, Bruce (April 7, 1986). "Eolia—The Harkness Estate". National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved October 26, 2012. and accompanying photos from 1985 and 1986
External links
edit
- Harkness Memorial State Park Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Harkness Memorial State Park Map Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- The Friends of Harkness
- Historic photos of Eolia interiors from the Library of Congress